Abdoulaye Doucoure insists Everton should never have sold Lucas Digne

Abdoulaye Doucouré has reflected on his time at Everton after leaving the Toffees for Saudi Pro League club NEOM SC in the summer.

The Frenchman spent five years at Everton and was a key player despite five different permanent managers.

Doucoure looks back on his time with the Toffees with fond memories, but he believes the decision to sell left-back Lucas Digne to Aston Villa in January 2022 shortly after a row with Rafa Benitez was a huge mistake.

“Lucas was one of the best left-backs in the league,” the former Everton star told The Athletic.

“When I saw that I thought, ‘How can they let someone like that leave the club like that just because of an argument?’ It made no sense because Lucas loved the club and wouldn’t have left for Aston Villa.

Digne joined Everton from Barcelona in August 2018, playing 127 times before a row with Benitez.

There was a disagreement with the former Blues boss over tactics and his role in the team, and the club decided to let him go after the manager made it clear he no longer had a place in his team.

The Spaniard was sacked just three days after Digne joined Villa, and the France international could have stayed at the club if Benitez had been sacked sooner.

The 32-year-old has made 147 appearances for the Midlands club, and while Everton don’t miss him, having such an experienced defender in their ranks would have been helpful.

The Toffees have moved on and hope to make better transfer decisions in the future as they look to establish themselves as regulars in European competitions.